Attachment for ladders



Eau. 5, 1925. EZQ w. ENssLE ATTACHMENT EDR LADDERS I Filed June 17, 19242 sheets-sheet 1 Jan. 6, 1925. l 4522,292

W. ENSSLE ATTACHMENT FOR LADDERS l Filed June 17, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2M//mm 55s/e Patented Jan. 6, 1925.

f 'UN- ITEDzsTATES-Y ATTACHMENT ron Lannnns.

'Alipnc'aaoa fired Julie 17,

, To all whom t may concern."

Be it'knownl'that I, WiLLiaM ENssnn, a

citizen of the Republic of Germany, residing lladder with which `theupper'end thereof may be securely anchored to prevent its sl1d atRochester, iny the county ofQMon'roe `and State ofNew Yorkfhave inventedcertain new'v anduse'ful Improvements in Attach# ments for Ladders, vofwhich ther following isa-specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a new and improved attachmentfor a ing` or sliiftin after the `ladder has been located in the' esiredposition. This and other objects of described in the specification andpointed out in the claims at the end thereof.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a top plan view of theattachment as it appears when mounted on the upper'end of a'ladder.Figure 2 is a side elevationcf the 'attachment and the4 upper end of theladderV to which it is'attached.

Figure 8 is a top plan view of a modified forni of the attachment.

In the several figures of the drawings like reference numerals indicatelike parts.

After a. ladder is properly located there 'is always the danger of`having thel upper end thereof slide'to one sidev or the other unlesssome means are provided that anchors .matter of this invention .is s0constructed that it can be readily adjusted at any time either from theground or from the ladder whilev older devices of this nature have to beadjusted before the ladder is put in place.

As illustrated in the iigurcs the attach ment comprises a pair of shortrectangular sleeves 1 and 2 that are adapted to slide over the upperends of the ladder rails and are clamped thereto b means of the clampingscrews 3, 3. Eac of the sleeves 1 and 2 has a rearwardly extendingbracket 4 integral therewith. On these brackets are provided thehorizontal bearings 5, 5 in which the shafts 6 and 7 respectivelyaremounted to rotate. Each of these shafts carries at its outer end a worm8. These worms mesh withf the worm wheels 9. 9 carried on the inner endsof 'the anchoring his invention will be yfully illustrated in thedrawings,l

arms 1'0, 10 and arepivoted on Athe pivot` pins 11, 11 mounted in therearwardlyextending brackets of the 'sleeves 1 'and2.' The pivot `pinscomprise shouldered machine PerENT om@ `screws that arethreaded"intothe.bracketsv `wheels to-f'rotate thereon.

'A collar llA'is keyed to eachof the shafts 6 and 7 on the Voutside ofthe horizontal 'bearing's'and keeps the sliafts'trom sliding therein.The inner ends ofthe shafts extend into the hollow shaft'j12 and areadjustably keyed therein by means of the'set screws 13 and 14; The'hollow' shaft l2 carries the double grooved pulle7` 15 in the middlethereof over which the ropes `or cables' 161 and 17 are adaptedto pass.The ropes are wound around the pulley in stheir respective grooves sothat by 1 pulling on oneof the ropes the pulley is rotatedin onedirection and by vpulling the other rope the pulley is rotated in theopposite direction; The worms 8, 8 can thus be rotatedl to turn the arms10, 10 either in orout by rotating the pulley as rabove described."Inthis way the arms ma anchort e upper end ofthe ladderamd hold itagainst sliding on 'the object against which it is placed.' If'thisshould be apole' or narrow object the arms .are place as to partlyembrace it, otherwise thearms arepositioned to `allow the pointedy endsbe adjusted so as to properly thereof to dig into vthe object againstwhich `it'is placed. In cases where itis 4objec-"Qo tionable to have thepoints on the ends dig" ,intor the" object 'against' which the ladder isi placed, pads'made `of rubber or other suitable material may be slip edover the points so that they will rest against the object and preventthe upper end of the ladder from sliding thru the friction'al contactbetween these pads and the obj ect that they engage.'

In Figure 3 is illustrated a modification of the attachment whichdiffers from the attachment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 in that eachot' the anchoring armsis made adjustable individually. For this purposethe sleeves 20 and 21 that are separately clamped to the upper ends oft-he ladder by means et the clamping screws 22 are provided withsidewardly projecting brackets that carry the horizontal bearings 23, 23and the pivot pins 24e, 24. A shaft 25 carrying a worm 26^ and a 'wormwheel 27 is mounted in each of the horizontal bearingsand on the pivotpins, respectively. Each shaft 25 has Lsaaeea a 'double' ooved pulley 26keyed thereony 7 over Whic tworopes or cables can pass.

The pulleys can thusbe individually rotated in either one or the otherdirection in order t-o swing the arms controlled by these pulieys in thedesired direction' and place them properly against the obj ect on whichthe upper end of the ladder is to rest, l,

By making the ends-of the shafts 6 and 7 adjustable in and out of thehollow shaft 12 on the attachment illustrated in Figures 1- and 2theattachment may be attached to ladders of different Widths. Thus for aladder kof small width the shafts 6 and are,

inserted into the hollow shaft the I full len h thereof While foraladder of greater wi th these shaftsk are moved out ofthe hollow shaftin 'order to bridge the longer distance between the upper. ends of theladder.

1. In an attachment for ladders, the combination of a pair of sleevesadapted to telescope over the ends of the uprights of of said sleeves, ahorizontal bearing formed on each of said' brackets, said bearingsfbeingin line with each other, a, short shaft mounted torrotate in each ofsaid bearings, a hollow shaft telescoping over the ends of saidshortshafts, a pulley carried by said hollow shaft, a-Worm carried by each ofsaid short shafts, a. wormwheel mounted to rotate adjacent to eachofsaid worms andv meshing,therewith,l an arm carriedrbyv each o-f saidworm wheels, saidtarms being adapted to lsimultaneously swing in eitherone or the other direction on the rotation of said pulley. t

8. In an attachment for ladders, the combination of .a pair of sleevesadapted to telescope over the ends of the uprights of a ladder',4 meansfor clamping said sleeves to the ladder', a bracket projecting from eachof said sleeves, a horizontal bearing formed on each of said brackets,said bearings being in linetwith each other, a short shaft mountedtoprotateinA each of said bearings, a hollow shaft telescoping over theends of said short shafts, a." pulley carried by said hollow shaft, aworm carried by each-of said short shafts,`a worm wheel mounted torotate .adjacent toeach of lsaid worms and meshing therewith, an armcarried by each of said worm. wheels, said arms being adapted. tosimultaneously swing in either one or the other direction onthe rotationof said pulley, said short shafts ybeing adjustable in and out of saidhollow shaft to increase or decrease the distance between said pair ofsleeves corresponding to the distance between theuprights of the ladderto which said sleeves are to be clamped. i

4. In an attachment for ladders, tl1e combination of a pair of sleevesadapted to telescope over the endsof the up-rights ,of a ladder, abracket formed on each of said sleeves, a Worm mounted to rotate on saidbracket, a pivot pin carried on said bracket, a worm wheel mounted torotate on said pivot pin and adapted to mesh with said worm, an armprojecting from said worm wheel, and means for rotating said worm ineither one or the other direction, said arms being curved inwardly andadapted tor embrace a In testimony whereof -I axl my signature l/VILLIAMENSSLE

